When the Ball Dropped
by BBforever23
Summary: Angela had big plans for her New Years party. She knew that when the ball dropped her favorite couple of crime fighters would finally close the deal. But when Booth begins acting stange her plans go down the drain. Will Booth blow it with his only love?
1. Chapter 1

"Oh come on Sweetie! It will be fun. Do you have that word in your vocabulary? Fun." Angela was more than a little pissed off at her best friend who insisted that productivity always be placed before a good time. Even on New Year's Eve.

"Angela, I just can't. I'm sorry, but I really have to get these remains identified." Her excuse for everything even remotely fun was becoming more and more disgusting to Angela.

"Brennan, those remains are over fifty years old! They can wait one more day. Now damn it if I have to drag you out of here you are going to my New Years party and you are going to drink and unwind for one stinking night!" She was nearly screaming at this point and she could feel the anger rising in her with every second she spent playing tug of war with Brennan and her precious unidentified Bones.

Brennan just stared at her for a second and then looked back behind her in the direction of limbo. She sighed as she turned back to her best friend.

"Fine!" She allowed herself to be dragged in the direction of the sliding glass doors toward the exit. Angela let out a shrill shriek of pleasure for winning the war. They were out the door in no time and Angela insisted that she drive Brennan to the party at her place.

"You can drink as much as you want and if you have too much you can just crash at my place. I think were going to have a great time. Booth said that he would come." Suddenly Angela turned to Brennan and smiled widely. She knew that tonight would be the night that something happened between the two of them. Something hot and steamy.

"Well why didn't he come and get me then? He's usually jumping at the chance to make me have 'fun'." She asked annoyed, but not quite as annoyed as she was before she found out that Booth was going to the party too.

"I don't really know. He said he would be a few minutes late, but he didn't say why." Angela had big plans for tonight and she wasn't going to let anything come in the way of those plans. The first phase was already complete—drag the over worked anthropologist out of her sanctuary kicking and screaming—_check! _Angela thought with a gleeful smile toward Brennan. She would work on the second phase when they arrived at her place.

**At Angela's house fifteen minutes before guest are due to arrive.**

"Oh, would you just grow some balls and come out here so I can see you!" Angela yelled at the bathroom door.

"No. I look ridiculous. Why did you want me to wear this?" Angela smiled deviously to herself after hearing Brennan's muffled complaints through the bathroom door.

"If you don't come out in ten seconds I'm going to come in!" Angela threatened while she put aside her martini glass and prepared to barge in. She didn't have to however, and when Brennan opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom Angela gasped.

Brennan heard another loud, excited squeal come from Angela's mouth and she rolled her eyes in response. Since arriving at Angela's two bedroom apartment she had been pushed around, made over, and dressed up like a Barbie doll. Which was, by the way one of the toys that Brennan most hated when she was little. Angela had made her shower and then refused to let Brennan fix her own hair which was now in some 'up-do' as Angela had put it. Then she practically begged her to put her face in Angela's 'capable hands'. Brennan sighed heavily. Her hands may very well be capable and her make up did look very nice, but Brennan was not used to being treated like a test dummy for cover girl. And then to top it all off Angela had purposely spilt her drink all over the cloths that she was going to wear to the party. Oh, sure, Angela said that it was an accident but she then said that jeans and a t-shirt were not appropriate New Years party attire. Brennan could see straight through her little act, but she still couldn't understand why Angela had chosen tonight to torture her.

Brennan looked in the mirror one last time as she studied the thin, almost sheer, sparkling white dress Angela had stuck her in. It had one strap that hung elegantly over her left shoulder and a low cut neck that showed way too much cleavage for Brennan's taste. The fabric flowed like a waterfall down to the floor where she donned a pair of silver sparkling hills that matched the sparkles in the dress perfectly. It was a very pretty dress. Brennan had to admit it to herself, but she just didn't see the need for something so dressy.

"Don't you just love it!" Squealed Angela as she grabbed Brennan by the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

"Okay Angela, what is this all about? You know I don't like playing dress up and you usually respect that. So, what are you up to?" Brennan eyed Angela curiously.

Angela knew she wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought she was, but she knew that Brennan couldn't guess that at the stoke of midnight she planned to have Brennan and Booth side by side, ready for the big kiss. Angela wasn't even close to oblivious either and she could tell that Brennan was hoping for that kiss as well. Over the past few months Angela could tell that Brennan seemed more open and receptive to Booth. Since his brain tumor Brennan had changed dramatically. It wouldn't be noticeable to many people, but Angela knew Brennan almost as well as Booth knew her, and she also knew the female heart. She had seen Brennan accepting more of the illogical, irrational, and emotional aspects of Booth than she ever had. Her brain was stepping back a small amount and letting her heart have a few victories. That small amount of leave way was all Angela needed to get this party started. Before she even opened her mouth to answer her best friend the door bell rang.

"It's party time!" Angela nearly ran out of the bedroom and into her large living area. When she opened the door she saw Cam with a tall black man who looked as if he could be a weight-lifter.

"Um- Hi Angela this is John Cowen. My date." Cam gave Angela a wide smile and Angela whistled and invited them in.

"Would anyone like a drink?" Angela offered and then showed them to the bar. The night continued and in thirty minutes the place was nearly filled. Hodgens helped Angela with the drinks while Wendell cuddled up next to his date. Fisher's date was lifting her shirt high enough to show him her belly button ring, and Sweets and Daisy sat together on a small loveseat, smooching and feeding each other chocolates. It suddenly occurred to Brennan that Angela had invited only couples to this little get together. There were two men handsome men that Brennan didn't recognize, but judging by the way those men were huddled together in what seemed like a meaningful conversation; Brennan came to the conclusion that they were John Briggs and Timothy Gallagher from the Jeffersonian. They were a happily married gay couple that Brennan may have met once in passing due to the fact that they were not often near her department. Brennan sat her glass of blackberry merlot down on the table and walked over to the bar where Angela and Hodgens stood on the other side of it.

"Angela, I think I should go."

"What? No, no, no. You can't go, Booth isn't here yet." Brennan's suspicions were confirmed then.

"Why do I need to wait for Booth, Angela? I see him almost every day. Why is today any different?" Brennan asked coolly, keeping her calm in check until Angela decided to answer some of her questions.

"Because sweetie! It's New Years and magical things can happen when the ball drops!" Angela said with a dreamy smile while she placed her hands over her heart.

"Angela, I don't believe in magic and I don't believe you! I know what you are implying and it's not going to happen." Brennan clipped her words at the end and spoke in an irritated and stern tone.

"I have no idea what you are referring to." Angela raised her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Booth and I are partners, and friends, Angela. Nothing more. So please get the notion that he and I will ever be together in that sense out of your head."

Angela decided it was time for a little wake up call for her best friend. She walked around the bar and grabbed Brennan by her shoulders. Looking into her eyes intently Angela said the only thing she knew to say.

"Yes, you will. I know he loves you and I know you love him even if you won't admit it. So please, take that stick out of your ass and have a little fun for God's sake!" Angela smiled wearily at Brennan and braced herself for the worst.

Brennan's shocked expression remained on her face longer than Angela would have thought but when the shock left her face there was nothing but sheer terror there. Angela knew she had to rectify the situation before Brennan made a mad dash bolt for the door.

"Sweetie, I know you want evidence. Proof, hard core facts, and such. Right?"

"Facts, proof and evidence are my life, Angela. So of course I need those." Angela could almost see tears welling up in Brennan's eyes as she spoke.

"Okay, so do you want proof that he loves you or that you love him?" That was the one question Angela had to have the answer to. Even she didn't know which one Brennan would need proof of.

"Both." Angela should have known.

"Okay, for the proof that he loves you, all you have to do is look into his eyes. It's all there. The proof that you love him is waiting for you too. It's there resting in your brain." Angela knew better than to tell Brennan that love was in her heart.

"Angela, none of that makes any sense!" Brennan was becoming annoyed. She wanted to believe what Angela was saying but the words were not factual. The idea that if she looked into Booth's eyes she would see that he loved her was completely ridiculous. She had looked into his deep brown, almost black, eyes before and nothing was writing there. And if Brennan already knew that she loved Booth, why would she be asking for proof of it now? She wanted to believe it, but how could she without the facts?

"Bren, you already know that you love him. You just won't let yourself see it until you have all the _perfect_ facts! Trust yourself and Booth enough to feel love without the hard core facts." Angela paused as she watched Brennan assessing her words and thought for a moment that maybe, just maybe she could get through her hard shell of logic.

"A new year is coming. In many cultures the new year is about opening yourself up to new experiences. Letting yourself try new things, venturing out into the world. That's why people set new year's resolutions. What will yours be this year?" As Angela spoke she watched a play of emotions on Brennan's face. Confusion, replaced by understanding, understanding replaced by acknowledgement, acknowledgement replaced by resolve. She had done it. Angela had finally done it. The wall of logic was cracked and she saw light shining through it.

"You know, Angela, I think you may be right. As an anthropologist I've learned that you have to test your hypothesis in order to come to a conclusion." Brennan said simply with a smile. "That's what I'll have to do." Her smile faded and Angela became worried that the wall was building itself up again.

"But, what if my hypothesis is wrong and I mess up what Booth and I have now? I don't think I can compartmentalize that." Her frown deepened and she looked up helplessly toward Angela for some words of wisdom, for this was an aspect of life which she knew nothing about.

"Sweetie, have you ever heard the quote, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"? Well it's true. Believe me." Until then both of the women had forgotten that Hodgens was standing right there.

"She's right. I loved Angela, and lost her. But I wouldn't give up what we had together for anything. Even if it meant I wouldn't have had the pain." Hodgens looked at Angela and smiled. Angela returned that smile and turned her attention back to Brennan.

"There you have it sweetie, straight out of the mouth of an empirical scientist." That comment made Brennan laugh out loud which was a rarity and the sight of it had Angela and Hodgens laughing as well. Just then they heard a knock on the door. They all knew who it had to be.

"Bren, sweetie, I need to take these drinks to their owners. Will you answer the door for me?" Angela smiled and walked away with three drinks balanced between her fingers.

He was tired. He'd had a long hard day and all he wanted was to go home, shower, and drink an ice cold beer. But he had promised Angela he would be here for the ball drop. He knocked again. When the door finally opened he knew he was dead.

"Hi." That was all this beautiful angel said and it was enough to make him go weak in the knees. He knew she was waiting for a response but he couldn't make his lips move. He tried to speak several times but it felt as if he were choking on his words.

"Booth, are you okay?" Her smooth pale face showed concern and her ever changing eyes looked over him. He needed to respond but his breath was lost. His eyes trailed down from her glorious face to her supple neck, and then further down, down, down. She moved toward him and her sent filled his nostrils as she touched his forehead with the back of her hand.

"Booth, you're not running a fever are you? What is wrong with you?" _speak you crazy dumbfounded idiot!_

"Bones! Wow. You look-you-wow."_ Oh, much better you idiot!_ "Hey Bones." _There you go! How 'bout a round of applause for the stuttering fool! _

She smiled at him and he thought he saw her blush slightly when he flashed his charm smile back at her. _GOD! She's gorgeous!_ He already knew that she was a stunningly beautiful woman, but this was the first time his breath was actually stolen away just from looking at her. Something was different. It wasn't anything to do with the way her dress hugged her lovely curves or the way her ivory skin seemed to glisten in the soft light from the apartment. It was her eyes. He could tell how something had changed in her eyes. She seemed to have a new resolve in them. It was almost the same look she got when she found something she'd never come across before in her the bones she studied and was determined to figure out what was causing it. It was as if she were on a mission for the truth.

"Are you coming in Booth?" He realized that he was staring at her again like the buffoon he was.

"Sure." He walked into the apartment, eyes never leaving his partner. She led the way through the crowed room and to the bar. His eyes couldn't help but to wonder to her hips as he watched them sway. When he looked up he noticed Angela and Hodgens at the other side of the bar as if they were tending it. Angela had a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Booth I'm glad you could come." Angela greeted him cheerfully.

"Hey, man. Nice view huh?" Hodgens said with a sly smirk on his face.

"What was that?" Booth asked almost stunned. _Did he see me watching her ass?_

"The view dude. That window looks out over the lake. It's awesome." Booth could tell that Hodgens was trying not to laugh. _Oh, yeah. He saw me. That's okay; I'll deal with him later._

"Yeah, great view of the lake."

He sat by her side the entire night. Angela had to get Brennan away from him for just a few minutes to execute the revised third part of her plan.

"Bren, will you come here for just a sec? I have to talk to you about a female problem." The all important words that make men run for cover. Brennan followed Angela into her bedroom rather reluctantly, but when Angela had Brennan safely deposited on the edge of the California King bed she let out yet another quite shriek.

"Angela what are you so excited about that has to do with female problems? Oh, you're not pregnant are you?" Angela's smile turned into confusion.

"What? Oh, no sweetie. I just knew I wouldn't get you away from Booth unless I claimed I had a female problem."

"Sooo… you don't have a female problem?" Brennan was confused by the entire thing.

"No. Listen. You said you wanted to test out your hypothesis about yourself and Booth right? Well, how are you going to do that without an expert in the field of love? Since, as you have said, you know nothing about it." Brennan raised both eyebrows as she considered what Angela was saying.

"You are correct, Angela. I do need an expert in these matters to be able to fully evaluate the outcomes of my tests. Furthermore, I will also need someone to tell me what types of tests should be conducted. Angela, you have dealt with love many times before. And Hodgens would also be a helpful analyst considering the male point of view. Will you help me?" The question at the end was asked in an almost pleading way.

"Of course sweetie, that is why I'm here and I'll make Hodgens help us weather he wants to or not." Angela moved to sit beside Brennan and placed her slender arm over Brennan's shoulders. "Now, the first test we need to conduct will be difficult for you to pull off alone but don't worry, that's what I'm here for. We should call it the chase factor." Angela finished with a sly smile pulling at her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

This story is rated M for future chapters. Please Review!

As always, NOT MINE

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Sitting at the bar alone Booth waited quietly for Bones to return. When he saw her returning from the bedroom with Angela he smiled and quickly diverted his eyes. He tried not to stare at his gorgeous partner and failed miserably. She smiled at him as she walked toward the bar, but suddenly her direction changed as she curved right and walked to stand beside a tall muscular man in a black suit. _Who the hell is that?_ When he saw Bones talking to this strange man Booth's heart sank. Was she flirting with him? Bones' hand touched the man's arm as she laughed at something he said. _Oh, God. _She was most defiantly flirting with him. Booth suddenly felt the urge to walk over there and punch the man for flirting with his Bones. Then he remembered that she wasn't his. He had no claim to her and he knew he probably never would. No matter how badly he wanted to. _But there was no harm in interrupting their little moment was there?_ Booth stood to interfere with Bones' little _conversation_ and before he even got close to her his cell phone rang. He thought about ignoring it as he looked at the caller ID. _Damn._ Cullen.

"Booth." He barked into the phone with frustration.

Angela had been correct. As soon as Booth saw Brennan flirting, awkwardly to say the lest, with Tim Gallagher his eyes had almost popped right out of his head. Angela knew he was about to pass Brennan and Angela's little test when he stood. Then his phone rang. Booth began to argue with the person on the other end of the phone and while Angela watched from a distance through the crowd. She saw him close his phone with an aggravated snap and steal a quick glace toward Brennan before he turned sharply and bolted for the door. Angela wasn't expecting that. She tried to call after him but he was already gone. Stunned, Angela walked over to Brennan where she was still trying to look flirty with Tim.

"Bren, he's gone."

"What? Where?" Brennan's hurt expression broke Angela's heart and she swore she would kick Booth's ass for this.

"I don't know. Thank you Tim, sorry the effort was for nothing." Tim smiled sweetly.

"It's not a problem. I know what it's like to feel unsure of someone's feelings for you. Before John and I began dating I kept getting mixed signals from him. Turns out he really liked me but he was just trying not to because of our working relationship." He sighed and turned away to find his lover.

"Why would he just leave like that?" Brennan slumped down in an arm chair sighed heavily. "Well, I guess that's it. I have my answer." She looked defeated and Angela wasn't going to stand for it.

"No you don't!" Angela hissed at her, trying not to raise her voice over the crowd. "Look, he got a phone call before he left it was probably Cullen. You should go after him, he probably isn't far away. Go. Now." Angela rushed to the door and grabbed Brennan's coat off the rack and tossed it to Brennan.

"You're right. He probably got a case. Maybe he needs me." Brennan rationalized her longing to rush after Booth. Angela didn't care how she got herself out the door and after Booth just that she did it.

Brennan had tipped the door man and asked which way Booth had gone. After counting the money Brennan had given him he generously told her that he took off on foot down Jameson drive and had walked briskly into the Greek café just a few doors down. Well that was easily done. Brennan thought to herself. Why would he rush out of Angela's party only to walk a few yards down to a Greek café? She checked her watch. Not even two minutes 'til midnight. She knew what she had to do. She walked to the café which looked as if there was a large amount of New Years party goers there. She stood outside of the café for a few seconds looking through the windows for Booth. She was planning a surprise attack. At the stroke of midnight when the ball dropped Brennan had planned to walk up behind him and lay one long kiss on her partner. That was sure to be a test Angela would agree with. She saw him at the bar and she walked into the café as the countdown began. 10, 9, There he was. 8, but wait. 7, who is that with him? 6…she was beautiful…5….and blonde….Brennan walked closer, he didn't see her coming….4….he was too busy talking to the blonde….3 Brennan got closer, only a few short steps away….2….He still had no idea she was there….1….Brennan stopped cold in her tracks. The blonde woman he had been talking to threw herself into Booth's lap and began kissing him wildly. The crowd cheered in response to the ball drop and people all around were kissing each other. Brennan turned quickly. _I have to get out of here._ She pushed past kissing couples and cheering people. One man grabbed her in his arms and twirled her around. She kicked him hard in the shin.

"Oh, damn I just wanted a New Years kiss…" The man complained as Brennan saw a break in the crowd and ran through the door. She didn't stop when she reached the street. She didn't even stop when she reached Angela's apartment. She ran. She knew she had to keep running or she would fall. She didn't care where she was running to just as long as it was far away from Seeley Booth.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay everyone, I know Booth disappointed you in the last chapter, but let's hear his side of the story before we judge too quickly. After all, he is still the hunky FBI guy we all know and love….Anyways, please review!

As always, I don't own the wonderful characters of Bones or anything of the sort…

Angela had hoped for the best when Brennan didn't return to her party. But by the time New Years morning had rolled into the late afternoon she began to worry. She'd called Brennan several times. She even went to the lab. It was empty of course. Every one had taken the holiday off to recuperate from their late night partying. She hoped that since Brennan wasn't at home or at the lab that she was with Booth.

The phone rang once before he answered.

"Bones?" _Oh, God no._

"She's not with you?" Angela could hear panic in Booth's voice just as clearly as she felt it rising in the pit of her stomach.

"Angela, I can't find Bones. I called her god knows how many times and I went by her place and the lab. Where is she?"

"I don't know Booth. The last time I saw her she was on her way to find you after you left." Angela began pacing the length of her living room floor.

"What? She came looking for me? Oh, God."

"What Booth? Tell me!" The sound of regret and pain filled his voice and Angela knew something had gone terrible wrong.

"Angela, Cullen had called me just before I left your place last night. Oh, God she-she must have-she must have seen the kiss." Booth's pain filled voice was hard to hear but she knew she heard correctly.

"_Kiss?_ Booth, you had better explain. _Fast._" Angela could feel her pulse rise and knew that if Booth didn't have a very good explanation she would have to murder him. Okay, so maybe murder was taking it a little too far, but she would most defiantly injure him.

Booth sighed and then began with his story.

"The FBI has been after a woman named Silvia Tucker for months. She had been suspected of hiring men to kill her husbands. Three murdered husbands in the past twelve years. However they couldn't get one shred of evidence to prove it. Until last night. Like I said, Cullen called me and said that the woman was at that Greek Café just down the street from your apartment. We had been bating her for a month and she was finally ready to make the deal. So I went over there and before she made the deal with me, the ball dropped. She kissed me. I tried not to push her off because I really needed to catch her. I made it through the first kiss before I finally convinced her that we should talk business." Booth's voice became more and more haunted as he spoke.

Booth couldn't dare let him think of what could have happened to Bones. He knew that she must have seen that woman kiss him but couldn't understand why that would send her away.

"Angela, why was she coming after me? And why didn't she just wait for me outside the café?" Booth had to have answers. He had tried calling Bones all day and of course he went by the lab, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. He began to worry when he left the Jeffersonian so he drove around town, going anywhere that she might be. Even though they weren't working today he wanted to see her, he planed to have lunch with her as usual. Not knowing where she was always seemed to trouble him more than it should.

"Booth, she was going to find you and hopefully lay one big kiss on you. So, more than likely when she saw you kissing that woman, she freaked out and ran." Angela was becoming more and more infuriated with the situation. It seems that every time she gets Brennan to take one step forward, life sends her three steps backward.

A kiss? Wait a minute….why would Bones want to kiss him? Could Angela possibly be right? Booth couldn't understand what would make Bones want to kiss _him_ of all the men in the D.C. last night. She could have any man in the world and Angela, for some reason, thought that Bones wanted to kiss _him_. It was a laughable thought, and yet, he was immersed in the idea. What if Bones had found him alone? He began to imagine the would be kiss, completely forgetting that he was still on the phone with Angela.

"With my luck she's probably in Nigeria or Guatemala. Or some such place far, far away from here." Angela sighed and began to talk to herself while Booth sorted out his thoughts. "Damn, crazy, husband killing, bitch, ruining what could have been the beginning of a perfect future. I bet the bitch was a _blonde _too. That would just top it all off wouldn't it!"

Angela's angry rant broke through Booth's thoughts.

"Wait, Angela. Why was Bones going to kiss me? And why would she have _run_?" His firm tone had Angela calming herself down enough to explain. She told him about her conversation with Brennan and Brennan's hypothesis and the fact that she wanted to test her hypothesis.

"Oh, crap. So in her eyes, the tests were a complete failure!" I have to find her before she gets too far gone." Booth hung up abruptly and was about to head out the door and search for Bones when his house phone rang.

"Bones?" He asked breathlessly.

"No, it's Dr. Sweets."

How dare that man hang up on her! She was just as concerned as he was and she wanted to help him find Brennan. She listened as the phone rang for a third time. She let out an aggravated sigh.

"Booth." He barked loudly into the receiver as he answered.

"How dare you hang-"

"Angela, Sweets called. Bones just left his office and I'm on my way to see him. He said he had important information to tell me about her. He wants to see you too. Can you meet me there or do you want me to swing by and pick you up?" His hurried explanation halted her assault on him and she was immediately even more worried about her best friend. There would be time to scald him later.

"Come and get me please, I'll be ready." She hung up on him this time, however neither of them cared. All they could think about was what could be going on with Brennan that would make her go to Sweets. More over, what could Sweets have to tell Booth and herself that was so important it couldn't be done over the phone?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Okay you wonderful fan fiction readers here is the next chapter. I know a lot of you were hoping for the M rating to take affect in this chapter but it will not. Sorry. I am very grateful to all of you who review! I can't thank you enough for your wonderful words and I hope that all of you who stop by will take the time to review.

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I'll be going back to school this week so writing will not be easy for me but I will try to have the next chapter up soon. And please forgive me for the delay on this one.

Please, please, pretty please review! Bones is not mine.

The door swung open as he was finishing his paper work and he knew who it was.

"Agent Booth. Ms. Montenegro." Sweets greeted them as he looked up. Booth was a mess. Sure he looked like his usual self although he wasn't in his FBI regulation suit, but his face looked full of concern and confusion. Angela's face mirrored Booth's and Sweets knew he had to help in anyway he could.

"Sweets, what's going on? Where is Bones?"

"As I told you on the phone Agent Booth, she left my office not too long before I called you. I need to talk to both of you about Brennan. Please have a seat." Sweets gestured with his hand to the couch in front of him.

"I don't have time to sit. I have to talk to Bones." Booth was almost frantic.

"If you don't listen to what I have to tell you, then the next time you talk to Dr. Brennan may be your last." That caught his attention and put even more worry into his eyes. Booth walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge as Angela followed.

"Okay, Sweets. No games, no therapist babble….tell us plain and clear…what is going on?" Booth demanded in a very stern yet somewhat shaky voice.

"Dr. Brennan came into my office earlier and I gathered, from the questions she was asking that she is on a very focused quest." The room fell silent as both Angela and Booth stared at Sweets as though he had just spoken a foreign language.

"Quest as in journey, trek, expedition, mission—"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it Sweets! What we don't get is what kind of _quest_ Bones is on and what the hell does that have to do with us?" Booth's aggravation was increasing by the second.

"Dr. Brennan is on a quest for knowledge. One that may led to a tremendous brake through or….a terrible brake down." Sweets looked between the two people sitting in front of him and saw two distinct faces with the same look of confusion and worry on them.

"Sweets, Bones is a genius. What could she possible want to learn about?" Booth's aggravation peeked and his voice rose.

"The one thing that you have been trying to teach her from the very beginning of your partnership. And that you, Angela, have been trying to pound into her brain your entire friendship." Booth and Angela looked at each other then and simultaneously answered. "Love."

Sweets nodded quickly. "Precisely. Dr. Brennan reveled to me that she has been to several places to try and gain as many facts and evidence she can, to understand what you two have tried to teach her for several years."

Booth's head was spinning. She didn't run. She hadn't left town and she was on a mission to find answers about love. _Love_. He never thought she would ever embrace that word or even admit that it was an actual emotion.

"Why is she on this _quest?_" Booth asked slowly.

"Well, Agent Booth, I believe it has something to do with you kissing another woman last night." Sweets smiled slightly as he spoke.

"She told you about that? W-Wait, why would me kissing someone effect her anyway?" Booth's confusion increased.

"From what she told me, Dr. Brennan ran into Deputy Director Cullen shortly after seeing you kiss that woman, I mean literally _ran_ into him. She was running so fast that she nearly knocked him down. He explained to her the situation and I think that she became embarrassed when she realized that she almost ran away from emotions that she never intended to acknowledge."

"What emotions did she never intend to acknowledge Sweets?" Booth was on edge and he thought he understood what the kid was trying to say but he had to hear the words before he could truly believe them.

"Her love for you!" Sweets and Angela both nearly yelled it at him, hoping that he would finally understand.

Love. Love for me? His pulse quickened dramatically and he felt like flying.

"Bones loves me?" A small confident smile spread across his face and he couldn't help but to imagine Bones telling him that in her own way. "Where is she? I have to see her." Booth began to stand and Sweets knew he had to stop him.

"Agent Booth, I believe that if you find her before she has finished her quest, she will not be receptive and you may cause that terrible brake down I was talking about." Sweets said it quickly so that Booth wouldn't bolt for the door. Booth sat back down slowly and reluctantly listened to Sweets' advice.

"If you push her too quickly she could revert back to her old habits and begin replacing that hard shell that you finally broke though, and no one wants that."

"What should I do?" Booth wasn't about to undo any progress that he had made no matter how badly he wanted to go to her and take her in his arms. He knew that if Bones could see that love was possible then she would see the love he had for her. Then maybe, just maybe, they could have the life that he thought would always be just a dream.

"I think you should go back to your apartment and wait. Because I am quite certain that as soon as she has gathered all of the knowledge she can, she will come to you. Weather or not she will confess her love for you however, is something that I can not be certain of."

Booth was confused again.

"If she knows that she loves me after all this, then why would she not tell me?"

Sweets sighed, trying to find the right way to say this.

"I sense that for some reason, Dr. Brennan feels that by loving you she will betray you. That loving you is some sort of crime against you. As if there is a barrier that was put in place by you. And she feels guilt for breaking that barrier. That is the only way I can describe it." Something in Booth's brain clicked as he realized that the barrier Sweets was talking about was in fact a line. A line that Booth lay down a long time ago, to keep himself at a safe distance from his partner. A line that was intended to keep himself from falling in love with a woman whom he thought would never love him back. That line didn't work. He fell in love with her anyway and now that she might love him back that line seemed such a silly thing.

Booth hated himself for making her feel guilty for crossing an invisible line that shouldn't have been set in place to begin with.

"So, Booth you should go back to your place and wait for her. When she arrives you may have to cross that barrier before she will allow herself to do so." Booth leaned back against the couch and sighed heavily.

"How?" He breathed the word.

"You may either have to tell her how you feel about her or show her how you feel about her. Either way you will most likely have to take the first step." Booth stood up and looked Sweets directly in the eyes.

"You know, I underestimated you Sweets. You really are a good psychiatrist. Thank you Dr. Sweets." Booth shook Sweets' hand and as Sweets stood there dumbfounded Booth and Angela made their way to the door. "Oh, and Sweets…If you're wrong about all of this and I screw up what I have with her…I'll kill you." Booth left Sweets standing in him office, still stunned.

"Good to know." He said to the empty room.

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